C6H12O6 - Sugar, what's the story?

Richard Humberstone
May 21, 2017
6 min read

In my opinion, the overconsumption of sugar in our diets is becoming an epidemic. However, with that being said, sugar is certainly not the Devil, as some people may lead you to believe. Sugar is everywhere it's in almost everything we eat, whether it is natural or added. Remember its the bodies primary energy source. There are lots, and lots of different types of sugars here are a few of the most common sugars you will have heard of.

Monosaccharides -Simple sugars

Glucose

Occurs naturally in fruits and plant juices and is the primary product of photosynthesis. Most ingested carbohydrates get broken down into glucose during digestion. They are the form of sugar that gets transported around the body in the bloodstream.

Fructose

occurs naturally in fruits, some root vegetables, cane sugar and honey and is the sweetest of the sugars and it is one of the components of sucrose or table sugar.

Disaccharides -Compound sugars formed by a combination of two monosaccharide molecules

Sucrose

is found in the stems of sugarcane and roots of sugar beet. It also occurs naturally alongside fructose and glucose in other plants, in particular fruits and some roots such as carrots.

Lactose

Lactose or milk sugar is a simple carbohydrate. Foods naturally high in lactose include milk, yoghurt, custard, curd and ice cream.

Is sugar addictive?

Well actually no, as far as science can understand at the moment.

As obesity rates continue to climb, the notion that overconsumption reflects an underlying 'food addiction' has become increasingly influential. An increasingly popular theory is that sugar acts as an addictive agent, eliciting neurobiological changes similar to those seen in drug addiction, typically compared with cocaine. Well, fortunately, this is actually false, there is very little hard evidence showing that sugar is actually addictive. Scientists conducted Numerous neurological tests on rodents and humans. Finding little evidence that indicates addiction in humans. Animals addiction-like behaviours, such as bingeing, occur only in the context of intermittent access to sugar. These behaviours likely arise from intermittent access to sweet tasting or highly palatable foods, not the neurochemicals effects of sugar.

Where am I going wrong? Sugar is in everything we eat and drink these days whether it's sweet or savoury it will have added sugar and a lot of it! This picture alone shows you how much you are consuming in these drinks.

Drinking your calories is the fastest way to gain weight. Simply because most drinks out there are overly packed full of sugars. The problem with this is sugary beverages won't actually put you off from eating more food. In fact, studies show you will actually consume more calories after drinking sugary drinks.

This image shows you the process and cycle sugar has on the body when consumed high amounts will keep you always wanting more.

Enemy number 1 - refined sugar

Refined sugar begins its life as a natural sugar; it then goes through a refining process. One method of this is to treat with carbon dioxide, this removes impurities such as wax, gum and fats. It is then boiled down, leaving pure concentrated refined sugar.

Does it cause illness and disease?

Again no, sugar doesn't directly cause illnesses or diseases (minus diabetes.) Indirectly it can with "overconsumption" being the key phrase. The effects of sugar on the body, when consumed in large amounts, is alarming.

Heart disease Consuming too much sugar can lead to significant weight gain, and it is due to this where the health-related issues can occur. Heart disease has the highest mortality in the US equating to 1 in every 4 deaths. Too much sugar vastly increases obesity which increases the chances of being a victim of heart disease.

Type II Diabetes

Diabetes is a problem with your body that causes blood glucose (sugar) levels to rise higher than normal. This is also called hyperglycemia. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. If you have type 2 diabetes, your body does not use insulin properly. This is called insulin resistance. At first, your pancreas makes extra insulin to make up for it. But, over time, it isn't able to keep up and can't make enough insulin to keep your blood glucose at normal levels.

Liver disease

Too much consumption of sugar can lead to a condition called Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This is one of the types of fatty liver which occurs when fat is deposited (steatosis) in the liver due to causes other than excessive alcohol use.

But i crave sugar!

How can I control them?

There are many theories on the causes of sugar cravings, including food allergies, adrenal fatigue, monthly hormonal changes in women, parasites, candida, and bacterial overgrowth. Unfortunately for us, we are hard-wired to search out for high-calorie foods. What causes the craving? Well, survival instincts. When we eat foods that contain a lot of sugar, dopamine gets released in the brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain's reward and pleasure centres. Dopamine also helps regulate movement and emotional responses, and it enables us not only to seek rewards but to take action to move toward them. So your brain awards you by making you feel goooooood when eating sugary foods.

7 ways to reduce your daily sugar intake.

Controlling your cravings is something a lot of people struggle with. Your personality and characteristics will determine how easy or difficult this is for you. If you are like me, then you have strong will power and can control your cravings and not let your cravings control you. Sadly it's not like that for everyone If you really struggle with cravings your diet will be a huge contributor to that. If you are not eating and drinking correctly by supplying the body with the nutrients that it needs your brain says "GIVE ME SUGAR" until you cave in and take a piece of that cake. Stop eating refined and excess sugar. This one should go without saying really. Obviously, the more sugar you eat, the more you inevitably crave.

Purge your cupboards and don't restock. Out of sight out of mind, If you have cupboards full of sweets and treats, then the temptation is staring you right in the face. If it's not there, it makes it a lot harder for you to get them. Sometimes having to make the effort of going to a shop just for treats is enough to put you off.

Increase the protein and fibre in your diet. Protein will keep you fuller for longer and help balance out the blood sugar and will help reduce sugar cravings. Increasing fibre will also help you stay fuller for longer as well as supporting detoxification. It is also proven to help reduce pathogenic bacteria, parasites, and yeast, such as candida, these feed off sugar. The more sugar you eat, the more inviting you make your gut for these "bad guys", and higher levels of candida means the more sugar you crave.

Drink more water. Water is not only vital for optimal health, but it can also help prevent cravings. Often our bodies have trouble differentiating between dehydration and hunger. Your body can trick you into thinking you need more food when all you really need is water. When you feel a craving, drink a glass of water and wait a few minutes. The cravings may subside.

5. Increase your essential fatty acids and healthy fats in your diet. When you are eating enough fats, you tend to crave fewer starches and sugars, it's easier to cut your overall calorie intake without feeling deprived. You can get these in omega 3 tablets and foods like avocados and coconut/coconut oil.

Replace your sugar with stevia. Stevia is a herb from South America. It has been around for centuries, today it comes in both powder and liquid form and used in cakes, bakery, and anything you want to add sweetness too. It is 250 times sweeter than sucrose. It's true that stevia is low GI, has no calories and is linked in some studies to aiding the pancreas and improving digestion.

Increase the amount of probiotic you have in your diet. Think of it like this the good bacteria wages war on the bad bacteria like candida. Additional to taking a good probiotic supplement, you can increase your probiotic intake with your food such as natural organic yoghurt, Kefir, sauerkraut, miso soup, pickles and microalgae like spirulina.

Thank you for reading.